After the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed Texas’ fourth New World screwworm case this week in a Gillespie County goat, a Texas Hill Country animal shelter says it can no longer accept injured or orphaned warm-blooded wildlife — a change shelter officials say could lead to the deaths of hundreds of animals in the region.
AWS Freeman-Fritts Animal Shelter & Clinic in Kerr County, about 50 miles northwest of the confirmed New World screwworm case, announced the change in a Facebook post on Wednesday, June 10. The announcement came one day after Texas officials established animal movement restrictions in Gillespie, Kerr and other Hill Country counties in response to the screwworm threat.
“Effective immediately, we are no longer able to accept injured or orphaned warm-blooded wildlife,” the shelter wrote in the social media post. “This includes deer, rabbits, squirrels, foxes, birds, and other mammals and birds. We are only able to assist with turtles and snakes at this time.”
“This news is devastating. We know firsthand how many injured and orphaned animals need help, and it breaks our hearts to turn them away,” the post continued.
The Kerr County shelter has served for years as a medical triage stop for injured wildlife before animals are transferred to Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation in Kendalia. In 2025 alone, AWS Freeman-Fritts helped treat nearly 200 animals, according to the shelter.
Phyllis Allen, who manages the shelter, told MySA that the state’s new wildlife movement restrictions have stopped the facility from sending warm-blooded animals to its rehabilitation partner in Kendalia. Before the restrictions, the shelter typically transferred four to eight injured or orphaned animals each day, including deer, rabbits, squirrels, foxes, birds and other mammals.
“The impact’s probably going to be hundreds of animals by the time this is all said and done,” Allen said.
Allen said the current animal restrictions are not focused on domesticated pets such as cats and dogs, and out-of-area pet adoptions are still moving forward for now. However, she said officials are still trying to determine whether the restrictions could create additional complications for shelters and rescues.
“What it’s going to mean for dogs and cats at this point, we’re unsure,” she said.
Without the shelter’s medical resources, Allen said Kerr County Animal Control officers will have fewer options when responding to injured wildlife under the quarantine order. In some cases, if a licensed wildlife rehabilitation facility cannot accept an animal, Texas Game Wardens may be forced to euthanize it.
“Without us as a resource, their options are limited,” Allen said.
Allen said Buck Wild Animal Rescue & Wildlife Rehab in Ingram is currently the only local facility in Kerr County accepting warm-blooded wildlife as the Texas Hill Country responds to the growing New World screwworm threat.
“Knowledge is power. We’re pretty confident that we can identify it and address it,” Allen said. “The scary part for us is the emotional toll its going to take. We all take this seriously. It’s a big part of our hearts.”
Buck Wild Animal Rescue is currently accepting volunteers and donations.
This news is devastating. We know firsthand how many injured and orphaned animals need help, and it breaks our hearts to turn them away.